India’s 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand was announced on Saturday (December 20).
Shubman Gill, who was the vice-captain of India's T20I side, couldn't find a spot in the squad along with Jitesh Sharma, despite both men being a part of the last few assignments.
Ishan Kishan earned a surprise call-up to the 15-member group after leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title. The southpaw finished the SMAT as leading run-scorer, strengthening his case as a top-order option who also adds flexibility behind the stumps.
Finisher Rinku Singh also returned to the Indian T20I side after being ignored for the recently concluded five-match series against South Africa.
While some of the decisions made by selectors caught the fans, experts and former cricketers by surprise, legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh gave them a solid “10 out of 10” ratings, particularly appreciating the inclusion of Kishan and Rinku in place of Gill and Jitesh.
“Mere taraf se 10 out of 10. Main Ajit Agarkar aur management ko 10 out of 10 dena chahunga for this selection (Full marks from my side, I would give Ajit Agarkar and the management 10 out of 10 for this selection)”, Harbhajan said on-air after the squad was unveiled.
He added, “Obviously, thoda sa yeh zaroor laga hoga, ki Shubman Gill ki woh jagah nahi bani (Obviously, there must have been a feeling that Shubman Gill didn’t get his spot, but yes, I think it is right).”
Harbhajan further went on to say that the selection today was less about names and more about fitting the right pieces into a balanced unit. “Jaise sabhi baat kar rahe ki, this is not the end of the road. Yeah, yeh pehle bhi hua hain, jahan team combination pehle dekha gaya hain (As everyone is saying, this is not the end of the road. This has happened before too, where team combination was prioritised),” he stated.
According to Harbhajan, Inda’s current selection policy reflects a clear vision. “Jo battein humne Ajit ke taraf se suni, Surya se suni gayi, who yehi hain ki team kis tarike se settke karni hain (What we have heard from Ajit and Surya is all about how they want to settle the team),” he said.
Harbhajan Singh reiterated his delight at over the return of Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan to the T20I fold.
“I am so happy ki Rinku actually team mein hain, aur saath hi saath Ishan Kishan ki bhi wapasi hui hain. He could possibly be the player who could be in the reckoning. Hum unko standby mein dekh rahe the, leking unko jagah mil gayi. Jo apne perform kiya, aapko woh mauka mila (I am so happy that Rinku is in the team, and at the same time, Ishan Kishan has also returned. He was someone we were seeing in the standby, but now he has got his place. The way you performed, you got the chance),” Harbhajan remarked.
India will begin their T20 World Cup title defence on February 7 in Mumbai against the USA.
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan
